Why in News?

Since the Opposition has become stronger in the 18th Lok Sabha, its members are vying for the office of Deputy Speaker.

However, the Opposition is forced to run for Speaker for the first time since 1952 because the government has been unwilling to extend any assurances on the post of Deputy Speaker.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Office of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha
• Rules for the Election of the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha
• Office of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha Held by the Opposition Since 1952

Office of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha:

• Appointment:
  • Article 93 states that the House of the People shall (as soon as may be) choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
  • Article 178 contains the corresponding provision for the Speakers and Deputy Speakers in the state Assemblies.
  • It is a parliamentary convention to elect a Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha from a party other than the ruling party to run an accountable democratic parliament.
• Time frame to appoint a Deputy Speaker:
  • The Constitution does not specify a time frame for making the appointments and it is this gap in the provision that allows governments to delay or avoid appointing a Deputy Speaker.
  • However, constitutional experts have pointed out that both Articles 93 and 178 use the words “shall” and “as soon as may be”.
  • This means, not only is the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker mandatory, it must be held at the earliest.
• Powers:
  • According to Article 95(1), the Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker if the post is vacant. For example,
    • After the first Speaker (G V Mavalankar) died in 1956 before his term ended, Deputy Speaker M Ananthasayanam Ayyangar filled in for the remaining tenure of Lok Sabha from 1956 to 1957.
    • Again, after G M C Balayogi (Speaker in the 13th Lok Sabha) of the TDP, passed away in 2002, Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed (of Congress) became acting Speaker for two months.
  • The Deputy Speaker has the same powers as the Speaker when presiding over the House.
  • All references to the Speaker are deemed to be references to the Deputy Speaker as well for the times when s/he presides.
• Removal from the office:
  • Once elected, the Deputy Speaker usually continues in office until the dissolution of the House.
  • Under Article 94 (and Article 179 for state Assemblies), the Speaker or Deputy Speaker shall vacate his/her office if s/he ceases to be a member of the House of the People.
  • They may also resign (to each other), or may be removed from office by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then members of the House.

Rules for the Election of the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha:

• Election of the Speaker:
  • The practice in both the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies has been to elect the Speaker in the first session of the new House.
  • S/he is usually elected on the third day, after the oath-taking and affirmations have taken place over the first two days.
• The election of the Deputy Speaker:
  • It is generally not delayed beyond the second session unless there are some genuine and unavoidable constraints.
  • However, there is no bar on having this election in the first session of the new Lok Sabha or Assembly.
  • In the Lok Sabha, it is governed by Rule 8 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and shall be held on such date as the Speaker may fix.

Office of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha Held by the Opposition Since 1952:

• From 1952 to 1969, the first four Deputy Speakers were from the ruling Congress.
• Between 1969 and 1977, G G Swell of the All-Party Hill Leaders Conference served as Deputy Speaker.
• From 1977 to 1979, Godey Murahari of the Congress held the post when the Janata Party government was in power.
• From 1980 to 1984, the DMK’s (a Congress ally at the time) G Lakshmanan held the post in the Indira Gandhi government.
• In the 8th Lok Sabha (1984-89),
  • AIADMK’s Thambi Durai became Deputy Speaker when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister.
  • When Chandra Shekhar was Prime Minister (1990-91), Shivraj Patil (Congress) served as Deputy Speaker.
• In the 10th Lok Sabha (1991-96), when P V Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister, S Mallikarjunaiah of the BJP was Deputy Speaker.
• During the Congress-led UPA-I (2004-09) and UPA-II (2009-14) governments, the Deputy Speaker’s post was with the Opposition - first with Charanjit Singh Atwal of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and then with Kariya Munda of the BJP.
• The 17th Lok Sabha is the first and the only Lok Sabha which convened (from 2019 to 2024) without a Deputy Speaker.
  • In 2023, a bench led by CJI sought responses on a PIL that contends that not electing a Deputy Speaker is against the letter and spirit of the Constitution.